Proselyte
Proselyte, from Greek προσήλυτος/proselytos, is used in the Septuagint for "stranger", i.e. a newcomer to Israel;[1] a sojourner in the land,[2] and in the New Testament (Strong's G4339 Archived 2009-09-03 at the Wayback Machine) for a convert to Judaism from Paganism. It is a translation of the Hebrew word גר/ger (Strong's H1616 Archived 2009-09-05 at the Wayback Machine).
Two kinds of proselyte in Judaism[change | change source]
There are two kinds of proselyte:
- Ger tzedek (righteous proselytes, proselytes of righteousness, religious proselyte, devout proselyte)
- Ger toshav (gate proselyte, proselytes of the gate, limited proselyte, half-proselyte)
A righteous proselyte[3] was a Gentile who had converted to Judaism, was bound to all the doctrines and precepts of the Jewish economy, and was considered a full member of the Jewish people.
A gate proselyte[4] was a "resident alien" who lived in the Land of Israel and followed some of the customs.
Proselytes in early Christianity[change | change source]
The "religious proselytes" spoken of in Early Christian writings were righteous proselytes, as distinguished from gate proselytes.
References[change | change source]
Related pages[change | change source]
Other websites[change | change source]
- Petrine Proselytes Archived 2007-03-13 at the Wayback Machine
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Proselyte
- Jewish Encyclopedia: Proselyte
- Free Online Book: 'The Path of the Righteous Gentile' Archived 2006-07-11 at the Wayback Machine
- Proselyte in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica